This page contains pictures and information about Jewel Spiders
that
we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

Body length 12mm

Jewel Spiders are also known as Six Spined Spider, Christmas spiders and Spiny
Spiders. They can be found
in summer, around Christmas time in Brisbane. Their abdomen has bright yellow
and white patterns on black back ground. There are six spines on their back.

Jewel Spiders build vertical orb web about one to two meters about ground. The
radius of their webs are denser then other spider's. It could be because of
their short legs. They sit at the centre of their webs from day to night.

On interesting thing about the web of this Jewel Spider is that the spider
seems 'deliberately' make the support silk lines visible. Their orb webs are
invisible, or hard to be seen, as most other spider webs. However, for the
anchor threads which support their webs, there are many white dots on the
silk, about 20mm apart. There is an advantages to the web because the large
animals, such as human, will see those silk lines and not accentually walk
into and destroy the web.